Cabinet before the end of the week. When? We don't know but almost certainly today or tomorrow. Premier Pamela Gordon doubtless wants to put her own stamp on the Cabinet before a General Election. As a young Premier she will probably want that stamp to say "Young, Talented and Energetic''. She will also want a Cabinet which supports her vision of a people's government, financially stable and socially responsive, and she will want to reward staunch Gordon supporters.

It is clear that any Cabinet shuffle presents some problems. The Premier has only a small backbench from which to choose new Cabinet Ministers and some of those on the backbench are clearly not Cabinet material. Trevor Moniz is not a team player and Harry Soares apparently does not want to serve in Cabinet again. She also has to be careful not to give any impression of discarding those members of the present Cabinet who sit in marginal seats for fear that she might cost them votes.

The Premier may want to raise Rick Spurling's profile now that the election is uncertain in St. George's South.

It appears to us that despite the high cost the UBP has paid for the McDonald's debacle, the Premier could bring McDonald's backer Maxwell Burgess back inside the Cabinet especially since he sits in highly marginal Hamiltion West. His running mate Wayne Furbert is a question mark. He has been very visible at Transport but will probably be moved inside Cabinet. The Premier she may drop C.V. (Jim) Woolridge from Cabinet because his seat in Smith's South is secure and he has embarrassed her Government with the badly managed reconstruction of Somerset Bridge.

John Barritt in Devonshire South is a young, liberal and popular MP who might well return to Cabinet. He made it clear when he left Cabinet that he would be willing to return in a new portfolio.

Deputy Premier and Minister of Education Jerome Dill is young, intelligent and very capable and clearly a Gordon supporter. Having been ill he may not remain at Education where he has been a success, but he is certain to stay in the Cabinet. Two others who are certain to remain and probably in their present posts are Finance Minister Grant Gibbons and Tourism Minister David Dodwell.

Both are solid, reliable and very hard working ministers.

New MP Gary Pitman, who has chaired the Board of Immigration and who served in Cabinet when he was in the Senate, may be a possibility for the Home Affairs Ministry, especially since the Premier is under great pressure to remove Quinton Edness from that Ministry. Mr. Edness has held the Health Ministry in the past and is holding it now, along with Home Affairs, and will almost certainly settle for Health.

Another new MP, Erwin Adderley, is a possibility for Environment having been Director of Planning. Irving Pearman, who is now Environment Minister is unlikely to remain there having demonstrated that he is not an environmentalist. However it is a difficult call for the Premier since he holds a highly marginal Warwick East seat.

Where Senators are concerned, Yvette Swan had been effective at Community and Cultural Affairs and is contesting marginal Warwick West. She will stay in the Cabinet. Government Leader in the Senate Bob Richards is also a Warwick candidate and the Premier will want to continue his exposure. It could also be that Premier Gordon will make Senate changes.

There are others looking for Cabinet seats, notably Kim Young and Michael Dunkley, but both are in safe seats as is present Cabinet Minister Tim Smith.

Political considerations may mean that they all have to be backbenchers. That leaves Ann Cartwright DeCouto and we would not be surprised to see her used in some special capacity if only because it is probably better to have her inside the Cabinet. It should also be noted that in the Budget Debate, she was one of the strongest performers on the Government benches.

This shuffle is really the launch of the UBP election campaign. The Premier needs to get it right.